Luka Doncic

Austin Reaves hit a game-winning three-pointer with nine-tenths of a second left as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the host Dallas Mavericks 107-104 in overtime on Wednesday in American Airlines Center.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1471319984186040327

Lakers guard Wayne Ellington hit a corner three-pointer with two seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 93 and send it to OT.

Wayne Ellington sends us to overtime 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/7G0nbOikZQ

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 16, 2021

LeBron James led the Lakers with 24 points, Anthony Davis added a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double and Russell Westbrook posted a near triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Reaves had 15 points and seven boards off the bench.

Mavs guard Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 25 points. Kristaps Porzingis added 23 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas.

The short-handed Lakers were without Dwight Howard, Talen Horton-Tucker and Malik Monk because of the league's health-and-safety protocols. Mavs guard Luka Doncic sat his fourth straight game with left ankle soreness.

The 16-13 Lakers have won three straight. The 14-14 Mavs' two-game win streak broke in defeat.

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Notable Performances

Mavericks F/C Kristaps Porzingis: 23 points, 12 rebounds

Mavericks G Jalen Brunson: 25 points, 9 assists

Mavericks G/F Tim Hardaway Jr.: 20 points, 9 rebounds

Lakers PG Russell Westbrook: 23 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists

Lakers PF/C Anthony Davis: 20 points, 12 rebounds

Lakers F LeBron James: 24 points, 5 assists

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Reaves, Ellington Save Day for Lakers

The Big Three trio of Westbrook, James and Davis did its job Wednesday, combining for 67 points, 25 rebounds and 16 assists.

However, the Mavericks played a great game even without Doncic, and the duo of Brunson and Porzingis proved hard to stop in a defensive slugfest.

The Lakers needed some heroics outside the Big Three to pull off this road win, and that happened with Ellington and Reaves getting the job done late.

Ellington scored all nine of his points in the fourth quarter, knocking down a trio of three-pointers in a low-scoring frame that saw each team score just 20 points.

The final three-pointer was obviously the biggest, as it sent the Lakers into OT.

The first one stopped some early fourth-quarter bleeding in the form of an 8-0 Mavs run to begin the final 12 minutes. The second one was in response to a Trey Burke layup and cut the Mavs' lead to 87-85.

The Lakers aren't winning without any of Ellington's threes, as his hot outside shooting down the stretch gave L.A. a chance.

Ellington's co-hero was Reaves, who also hit a big fourth-quarter three when he grabbed an Ellington pass and nailed an outside jumper to slash the Mavs' edge to 89-88.

However, Reaves' body of work throughout this game proved to be crucial. The Lakers didn't get much offensive production outside the Big Three, but Reaves was there to deliver with his 15 points on his 5-of-6 three-point shooting.

The Lakers finished plus-10 with Reaves on the floor, and it's easy to see him continue establishing himself as a crucial member of this rotation as L.A. digs out of its early season hole.

He clearly has a big fan in Davis:

AD on Austin Reaves: "Big-time shot. ... He's sponge. He soaks up all the information we give. ... He's hard worker, plays hard. Do the right things."

— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) December 16, 2021

AD on Austin Reaves’ game-winning shot: “Big-time shot. … He’s not afraid of the moment and it shows right there.”

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) December 16, 2021

Ultimately, the Lakers are going to need more contributions outside Davis, Westbrook and James to have any chance of a deep playoff run. Games like Wednesday, when Reaves and Ellington came through in the clutch, are a very welcome sight as L.A. looks to accomplish its championship goal.

    

Brunson Does All He Can in Defeat

The Mavs faced a tall order Wednesday against a hot Lakers team featuring all three of their stars as Doncic sat because of his ankle injury.

However, Brunson was clearly up to the task as he scored his 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting and dished nine assists as he tried to lead Dallas to victory.

Brunson certainly played well enough for the Mavs to win. The problem was Dallas struggled from the three-point line, hitting just 12 of 44 shots from deep.

That teamwide slump didn't impact Brunson, who made two of four from downtown. But he did most of his work from inside the arc, and the Lakers had no answers.

Defense turned into offense as Brunson got the ball following a KP block and went right at James to the rim for two in the second quarter:

FEARLESS 👀 pic.twitter.com/JBKoMqYjzM

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 16, 2021

The Brunson-Porzingis connection was on point as the floor general found him for an alley-oop:

No friends in the industry 😈@AcmeBrick | #MFFL pic.twitter.com/dDwFm8IpAU

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 16, 2021

Brunson ended up with 15 points at the half and 23 before the third quarter ended. His efforts put the Mavs in position to win, but some excellent three-point shooting down the stretch ultimately changed this game's storyline.

Still, Brunson continues to impress for the Mavs, averaging 14.8 points on 49.7 percent shooting after Wednesday. Dallas will need him to continue that production as it looks for a return trip to the playoffs, but Brunson looks ready for the task.

   

What's Next?

Both teams now head north to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center.

Los Angeles will visit the T-Wolves on Friday at 10 p.m. ET. Dallas will face Minneapolis on Sunday at 8 p.m.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic is expected to remain sidelined for at least next week, head coach Jason Kidd said on Wednesday.

Per NBA reporter Marc Stein, Doncic will stay in Dallas this weekend to undergo treatment for left ankle soreness that has caused him to miss the past three games. The Mavericks will be traveling for a road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

Doncic has been hobbled since spraining his left ankle on Nov. 15. He was forced to miss the next three games before making his return, but the soreness persisted. He was also absent for the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 4 to rest his ankle.

The Slovenian is Dallas' most important player. He leads the team with 25.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game this season, and no other Mavericks player averages more than 20 points. Dallas is 2-4 in the games he has missed.

During his young career, Doncic has established himself as one of the most prolific offensive players in the NBA. Through four seasons, he has averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists. However, he struggles with shooting efficiency, as he has a career three-point field-goal percentage of 33.1.

The Mavericks will have a hard time replacing the two-time All-Star's production in his absence. Kristaps Porzingis will likely be relied on to handle the scoring load. He's second on the team with 19.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

Fourth-year point guard Jalen Brunson will take over the ball-handling duties. The Villanova product is in the middle of the best season of his career, with averages of 14.4 points and 4.8 assists. Veteran point guard Trey Burke will also likely see more playing time while Doncic recovers.

New details about the fractured relationship between former Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle and franchise superstar Luka Doncic have been revealed. 

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Doncic became particularly unhappy with the way Carlisle would treat Mavericks players and executives. 

One situation cited by MacMahon was Carlisle's "apparent determination to make" Dennis Smith Jr. "miserable" when he was in Dallas: 

Multiple players were shocked during one early-season team meeting when Carlisle accused Smith of being jealous of Doncic, sources said. The players considered it incredibly unfair to Smith, who wasn't playing well but was making an honest effort to mesh with Doncic on the court.

One unnamed player on the 2018-19 Mavericks roster told MacMahon that Doncic "hated how Rick treated other people."

Smith, who was traded to the New York Knicks as part of the package for Kristaps Porzingis in Jan. 2019, chimed in on MacMahon's report on Twitter: 

This article about my time there is spot on. And that’s coming from staff members n players! Y’all don’t even know the half. https://t.co/9gh2DI4xPu

— Dennis Smith Jr. (@Dennis1SmithJr) December 15, 2021

Following Carlisle's decision to step down as Mavs head coach in June, rumblings of discord between him and members of the organization began to percolate. 

Per Tim Cato of The Athletic, Carlisle "was often difficult to deal with: lashing out verbally at non-star players he disliked or having angry outbursts directed at inanimate objects behind closed doors."

According to MacMahon, Carlisle did have moments last season when he attempted to rehab his relationship with Doncic. 

"The coach heaped praise on his star in the media, often comparing him to legends such as Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, and protected the Mavs' young face of the franchise from criticism, even if it required stretching logic to do so." wrote MacMahon. 

It was unsuccessful, in part, because the dynamic "was too far gone" and Doncic became "more defiant" of Carlisle during games. 

One such instance came early in the 2020-21 season when Doncic openly questioned Carlisle's authority with the Mavs: 

'Who's in charge—you or Bob?' Doncic barked on his way back to the bench during an early-season game. He was referring to then-Mavs director of quantitative research Haralabos 'Bob' Voulgaris, whose rise in power played a role in Dallas' front-office dysfunction and who many players believed dictated lineups and rotation decisions to Carlisle. Carlisle relied heavily on Voulgaris' data but always had final say, team sources said.

Doncic emerged as one of the best players in the NBA during his first three seasons playing for Carlisle. He's finished in the top 10 in MVP voting in each of the past two seasons. 

The Mavs made the postseason in each of the last two seasons under Carlisle, but their inability to close games led to first-round exits. They lost the final two games against the Los Angeles Clippers after taking a 3-2 series lead in last year's postseason. 

Less than two weeks after that loss, Carlisle announced he was leaving Dallas after 13 seasons. Jason Kidd, who played for Carlisle from 2008-12, was hired as head coach on June 28. 

Dallas owns a 14-13 record thus far in Kidd's first season with the team.    

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is expected to miss multiple games because of "persistent left ankle soreness," according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.

Stein noted an exact timeline is still being determined.

Doncic has already missed time this season because of ongoing ankle issues. He originally suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of a 111-101 win over the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 15.

The Mavs held Doncic out of their next three games. The two-time All-Star returned to the lineup on Nov. 23. He appeared in five consecutive games before being held out of the second game on a back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 4.

Doncic told reporters after a loss to the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 10 he "probably shouldn't have played" in the fourth quarter because his ankle was causing problems.

"I wasn't feeling very good," he added, "but I tried to be out there."

On Saturday, he was ruled out of Sunday's contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The loss of Doncic only compounds the issues Dallas has already been having this season. Head coach Jason Kidd has the Mavs off to a 12-13 start. They are currently eighth in the Western Conference, but this is a disappointing record for a team that went 42-30 last season.

Doncic has been part of the problem for the Mavericks. He's still playing at a high level with 25.6 points, 8.5 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game in 21 starts. But the 22-year-old isn't scoring with the same efficiency he did last season. His shooting percentage is at 44.7 percent, down from 47.9 percent in 2020-21.

Until Doncic is able to return, Kidd will likely turn to Jalen Brunson as his starting point guard.

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic will miss Sunday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of left ankle soreness, the team announced Saturday. 

The 22-year-old has been bothered by an ankle injury throughout the 2021-22 season, and he aggravated it in Friday night's loss to the Indiana Pacers. 

Sunday will mark the fifth game Doncic has missed since Nov. 15. 

The Mavs offense tends to fall apart when the Slovenian isn't on the floor, so any extended absence would be a critical blow for a team that's already failing to live up to expectations. Dallas is 12-13 and in seventh place in the Western Conference heading into Saturday night. 

Jalen Brunson will stand to get additional playing time in the star's absence. 

Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic acknowledged that he has to get into better shape after his team's 102-99 home loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.

"People are going to talk about it, yes or no," Doncic told reporters. "I know I've got to do better."

Doncic had a busy year on the basketball court, with the Mavs playing 79 total games from Dec. 23, 2020, through June 6, 2021. He then joined up with the Slovenian Olympic men's basketball team soon after, and its run ended on Aug. 7.

The First Team All-NBA member acknowledged his "long summer" and that perhaps he relaxed too much following that tough stretch.

"I had a long summer. I had the Olympics, took three weeks off, and I relaxed a little bit. Maybe too much. I've just got to get back on track."

The comments dropped on the same night that NBA on TNT color commentator Reggie Miller made reference to Doncic's weight midgame.

"To me, looking at him, this is the heaviest I've probably ever seen Luka look, right now," Miller said in part.

"And I know he’s had a long year with the Olympics, but look how he's plodding up and down. He's not really running."

Doncic has been dealing with numerous injuries this year, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, including a sprained left knee and ankle. He also has a sprained left thumb, per the Mavs' injury report.

Doncic's weight had nothing to do with the Mavs' loss Tuesday. The two-time All-Star played well en route to 28 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

However, the Mavs shot just 9-of-46 from three-point range, which led to Dallas blowing a 17-point third-quarter lead.

Dallas doesn't have much time to rest, as the team's next game is Wednesday evening in Memphis against the Grizzlies. The Mavs will look to get back to .500 after dropping to 11-12 on Tuesday.

The Brooklyn Nets overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the host Dallas Mavericks 102-99 on Tuesday at American Airlines Center.

Kevin Durant scored 24 points to lead the Nets, and James Harden added 23 points and 12 assists. Mavs guard Luka Doncic led all scorers with 28 points.

Brooklyn took the lead for good at 98-97 after a Patty Mills three-pointer. A Harden layup preceded a pair of free throws from Mavs big man Kristaps Porzingis, who cut the Nets' edge to 100-99 with 1:16 left.

Durant then responded with a 14-foot turnaround jumper for the three-point lead.

Both teams then traded empty possessions, leading to Dallas getting the ball once again with a chance to tie.

However, Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. both missed three-pointers, with the latter player's shot attempt coming at the buzzer.

The 17-7 Nets have won three of their last four games. The 11-12 Mavs have lost three straight.

    

Notable Performances

Mavericks PG Luka Doncic: 28 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds

Mavericks PF Kristaps Porzingis: 17 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists

Mavericks SF Dorian Finney-Smith: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals

Nets PG James Harden: 23 points, 12 assists, 9 rebounds

Nets F Kevin Durant: 24 points, 7 rebounds

Nets C LaMarcus Aldridge: 15 points, 5 rebounds

    

KD, Harden Lead 17-Point Comeback

The Mavs took a 71-54 lead with 7:30 remaining in the third quarter after Porzingis drilled a three-pointer.

A Dallas victory appeared to be a foregone conclusion at that point. KD and Harden had combined for just 17 points at that juncture.

The only Net having anything more than an average game was reserve James Johnson, whose 12 first-half points helped keep this matchup from becoming a complete blowout.

However, Durant and Harden took this game over and showcased why the Nets remain the clear Eastern Conference favorites through six weeks of play.

The duo combined for 30 of the team's final 48 points. They got it going in the back half of the third quarter, chipping away at the Mavs' lead until it was down to 11.

Durant kicked off the fourth quarter with a mid-range jumper:

Don't look now... pic.twitter.com/U25znxcPtj

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 8, 2021

KD did work on the other end too, swatting a Reggie Bullock layup attempt:

Nope! pic.twitter.com/e6t4Xjpaeh

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 8, 2021

Brooklyn kept slicing the lead as Durant, Harden and Patty Mills all took turns dropping buckets. Durant, Harden and Mills combined to score all but two of the Nets' 27 fourth-quarter points.

The Nets ultimately went on a 16-4 run to start the fourth quarter, capped by a pair of Harden free throws to give Brooklyn a 91-90 lead.

The two teams went back-and-forth for a bit, with Durant nailing this two-pointer to tie the game at 95:

We got a GAME. pic.twitter.com/zSJ6DjNV9c

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 8, 2021

Doncic responded with a floater before Mills, who is sometimes automatic from three-point land this year, drilled another one from deep for a 98-97 lead:

BALA!!! pic.twitter.com/c1Ot1buMOX

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 8, 2021

Harden then bullied his way into the paint past Doncic for a bucket and a 100-97 edge:

😈😈😈😈😈😈😈 pic.twitter.com/ZefEu8MBAJ

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 8, 2021

KD closed the Nets' scoring for the night with a smooth baseline bucket:

SO. GOOD. pic.twitter.com/oiLpMs43W5

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 8, 2021

 

Brooklyn survived numerous Dallas chances to tie the game down the stretch for the win.

Ultimately, the Nets got hot when the Mavs went cold, and that was good enough for the Nets to move 10 games over .500.

     

Nightmare 4th Quarter, Poor 3-Point Shooting Doom Mavericks

The Mavericks scored just 13 fourth-quarter points, six of which were scored by Doncic. They shot 3-of-19 from the field and missed all but one of their 10 three-pointers.

That three-point performance was symbolic of the game. For the night, they shot 9-of-46 from beyond the arc.

There are two ways to look at this game from the Mavs' perspective.

On the bright side, the Mavericks played well outside their poor three-point shooting, which pretty much single-handedly sabotaged the team's hopes at winning this game.

"We play basketball like that for the rest of the year, we will be in pretty good shape," Mavs guard Jalen Brunson told reporters postgame.

"Just happened to run into the best team in the East. I mean, we're moving in the right direction."

The Nets entered this game averaging 109.5 points per matchup, and they scored 7.5 fewer than that mark. The Mavs defense was largely exceptional and shut down KD and Harden for two-and-a-half quarters.

Ultimately, the two future Hall of Famers' talents were too much down the stretch, but even then, the Mavs played a very good defensive game.

However, this game still stings. The Mavs led by 17 points at home with under 20 minutes remaining. Yes, the Nets are one of the best teams in basketball, but that's still a brutal loss no matter the opponent.

The poor three-point shooting is also symbolic of the fact that Doncic's supporting cast for his career has been hit or miss. Their production (particularly shooting the basketball) has been inconsistent.

Porzingis has particularly had an up-and-down Mavs career, and on Tuesday, he ended up shooting just 6-of-17 (1-of-5 from three-point land).

After the game, Porzingis even told reporters that the team's three-point shooting was "catastrophic."

That shooting ended up torpedoing the Mavs' chances to win, but this team is also bottom third in the league in field-goal percentage, three-point percentage and offensive rating, per Basketball Reference. This game was ultimately symbolic of the Mavs' season, and one has to wonder how the Mavs can get out of this rut.

     

What's Next?

Both teams play on the road Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.

The Nets will visit the Houston Rockets in Toyota Center. Dallas will travel to Memphis to play the Grizzlies at FedExForum.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will miss at least one game with an ankle injury. 

The Mavs public relations staff announced on Twitter that Doncic won't play on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies with a sore left ankle. 

Saturday marks the second night of a back-to-back for the Mavericks. They lost 107-91 to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. Doncic scored 21 points on 7-of-20 shooting (0-of-6 from three) with 10 rebounds and seven assists in 35 minutes. 

Doncic appeared in at least 61 games through his first three seasons in the NBA. When he's healthy, he's one of the best guards in the league. 

The 22-year-old averaged 27.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from deep during the 2020-21 campaign. He has followed that up by averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game this year, but he's only shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from three-point range. 

Without Doncic, the Mavericks don't look nearly as good. Jalen Brunson and Frank Ntilikina are next in line to fill in at point guard and they aren't nearly as effective. 

Brunson has averaged 14.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from deep. 

The Mavericks are 11-10 on the season, fifth place in the Western Conference. If they want to compete with teams like the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, they'll need Doncic to be healthy moving forward. 

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has said that superstar guard Luka Doncic needs to stop arguing with referees during the run of play.

Kidd discussed the situation following Friday's 107-91 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans after being asked about Doncic's frequent interactions with the officials:

I would lean toward playing five-on-five a bit more. You're not going to get any calls. Officials, they tend to not stop the game to change calls. You have to understand there's a point in time in games—dead balls—to be able to talk to officials.

While the game is going on, transition defense is one of the things we've talked about that we have to get better. If we're lobbying for calls during live play, it puts us in harm's way. ... Just some things have got to be a little bit more important. I think we're going to get better at understanding as a team when to talk to officials. Not just Luka.

Doncic, who recorded 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and seven turnovers in the loss, didn't dispute his coach's stance.

"J. Kidd, he's got a point," he said. "I've got to stop doing that."

The perennial MVP contender didn't want to speak too much about the officiating, however, merely adding: "I think you guys can see it. I'll leave it there."

In September, the NBA announced a rule change that urged referees not to call fouls if an offensive player was making "overt, abrupt or abnormal non-basketball moves" in an effort to draw a call.

Several of the league's top offensive players, including the Brooklyn Nets' James Harden, spoke out about the change early in the season as free-throw rates dropped dramatically.

"I'm not the type to complain about it. I asked every official if they see a foul, just call a foul," Harden said in October. "Sometimes I feel like coming into a game it's already predetermined. I already have that stigma of getting foul calls—a foul is a foul no matter what league it is."

While much of that chatter has subsided as the season has gone on, it's clear players like Doncic still believe they aren't getting enough calls for contact.

That said, the Mavs' franchise cornerstone ranks 12th in the NBA with 5.2 fouls drawn per game, and his 8.1 free throw attempts per game are in line with his career average.

Doncic could argue he belongs closer to the top of the fouls-drawn list—the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the league at 8.2 per game—but Kidd's main point still rings true: trying to lobby for a call while the play is ongoing won't help his cause.

The Mavericks (11-10) are back in action Saturday night, when they host the Memphis Grizzlies (12-10) at the American Airlines Center.